Freedom From French Fries

Isn’t this a bit dramatic?

I never understood how banning fatty foods from the cafeteria served the intended purpose of dissuading a kid from eating them in their car, at recess or after school.  If the school cafeteria is indeed their first exposure to fattening foods, one would assume they have made it rather far in life abstaining and would continue the practice based upon rational choice, inertia or dislike of the taste.  Doesn’t adding potato chips to list of forbidden fruit more interesting?

Mobile Learning, Courtesy of Hewlett-Packard (and others of course..)

This trend will only increase in intensity as chips become less expensive and the hardware wrapped around them drops in price with it.  Tomorrow’s classroom will likely look like a present day computer lab with plush recliners and Starbucks brewing in the background.   With  inexpensive laptops like these and the movement to mobile devices as supplementary curriculum aides, this is already occurring.  Good stuff!

Wisconsin Governor Keeps Online Charter Schools

This is a significant development:

MADISON — Gov. Jim Doyle signed into law Monday a bill that will keep online public charter schools open.

The deal was reached by the Legislature and passed last month.

Changes were required after an appeals court ruled last year that the virtual schools were violating state laws on charter schools, teacher licensing and open enrollment.

Speak Up 2007. What Do Students Think?

Project Tomorrow released the results of their annual Speak Up student survey today. The results confirm what many advocates of technology in education have claimed for years: students want more of it.

What did teachers have to say about education technology in the 2007 Speak Up survey?

• 33% identified themselves as technology experts, with 56 percent claiming to be average technology users.
• Technologies most used by teachers: e-mail and IM (93%), PowerPoint (59%), listening to podcasts or watching online video (35%).
• Most common use of education technology: homework and practice (51%).
• Three most important skills for students to learn: communication (80%), effective use of technology (73%), complex problem solving (63%).

This study confirms teachers should not fear technology in the classroom.

Rip Van Winkle Visits Today’s Classroom

Welcome… to the Official OdysseyWare Weblog!

Welcome Friend! This is the first of many entries intended to allow educators, parents and students the opportunity to collaborate and discuss education generally, comment on news stories relevant to online education and share ideas on what works in the classroom.

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